Chicago Cubs: An early look at 2020 free agent pitchers

Months remain in the Chicago Cubs 2019 season, but the long-term status of the pitching staff is still worth considering just days before the deadline.

It may seem odd to talk about 2020 free agency as we approach the 2019 trade deadline, but let’s take an early look anyways. The Chicago Cubs will have a lot of decisions to make this offseason with several players coming off the books and a pitching staff that is growing older.

In terms of the starting rotation, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish should no doubt be there in 2020. The team holds one last club option on left-hander Jose Quintana and Cole Hamels will be a free agent at year’s end. Reinforcements will likely be needed to be added to the rotation and holes need to be filled in the bullpen. One may wonder if Adbert Alzolay will be starting full-time next season, but regardless, he isn’t enough to fix this staff on his own.

Free agent markets will not be as exciting going forward with seemingly everyone and their mother getting extensions, but there are some notable names on the board. Some that could be good for the Cubs and others that may seem great but may not either be possible or just because they are not the player they once were. Here are five arms that could help the Cubs in 2020 and beyond.